Chronic Inflammatory Responses to Microgel-Based Implant Coatings

Inflammatory responses to implanted biomedical devices elicit a foreign body fibrotic reaction that limits device integration and performance in various biomedical applications. We examined chronic inflammatory responses to microgel conformal coatings consisting of thin films of poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) hydrogel microparticles cross-linked with poly(ethylene glycol) diacrylate deposited on poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET). Unmodified and microgel-coated PET disks were implanted subcutaneously in rats for 4 weeks and explants were analyzed by histology and immunohistochemistry. Microgel coatings reduced chronic inflammation and resulted in a more mature/organized fibrous capsule. Microgel-coated samples exhibited 22% thinner fibrous capsules that contained 40% fewer cells compared to unmodified PET disks. Furthermore, microgel-coated samples contained significantly higher levels of macrophages (80%) than unmodified PET controls. These results demonstrate that microgel coatings reduce chronic inflammation to implanted biomaterials

Black History Month 2023 : Historical Considerations on Nursing Education Across Canada

The UBC Consortium for Nursing History Inquiry presented the event to celebrate Black nurses throughout February 2023. This event included three presentations from members of UBC School of Nursing (recorded), UNBJ Department of History and Politics (not recorded), and USASK College of Nursing (recorded). Topics included Join a Rockefeller Foundation report written by Ethel Johns (the first director of nursing at UBC) on the status of Black women in the nursing profession in the United States (written in 1925), the entry of Black students to UBC Nursing and UNB School of Nursing, and racism in nursing education and practice in Canada today.Applied Science, Faculty ofNon UBCNursing, School ofUnreviewedFacultyGraduateUndergraduat

Upside-down but headed in the right direction:Review of the highly versatile Cassiopea xamachana system

The upside-down jellyfish Cassiopea xamachana (Scyphozoa: Rhizostomeae) has been predominantly studied to understand its interaction with the endosymbiotic dinoflagellate algae Symbiodinium. As an easily culturable and tractable cnidarian model, it is an attractive alternative to stony corals to understanding the mechanisms driving establishment and maintenance of symbiosis. Cassiopea is also unique in requiring the symbiont in order to complete its transition to the adult stage, thereby providing an excellent model to understand symbiosis-driven development and evolution. Recently, the Cassiopea research system has gained interest beyond symbiosis in fields related to embryology, climate ecology, behavior, and more. With these developments, resources including genomes, transcriptomes, and laboratory protocols are steadily increasing. This review provides an overview of the broad range of interdisciplinary research that has utilized the Cassiopea model and highlights the advantages of using the model for future research

Effectiveness of Medications Used to Attenuate Antipsychotic-Related Weight Gain and Metabolic Abnormalities: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Antipsychotic-related weight gain and metabolic effects are a critical outcome for patients requiring these medications. A literature search using MEDLINE, Web of Science, PsycNET, and EMBASE for randomized, open and double-blind, placebo-controlled trials of medications targeting antipsychotic-induced weight gain was performed. Primary outcome measures were change and endpoint values in body weight and body mass index (BMI). Secondary outcomes included ⩾7% weight gain, all-cause discontinuation, change in waist circumference, glucose and lipid metabolism parameters, and psychiatric symptoms. Sensitivity analyses were conducted to explain heterogeneity of the results. Across 32 studies including 1482 subjects, 15 different medications were tested: amantadine, dextroamphetamine, d-fenfluramine, famotidine, fluoxetine, fluvoxamine, metformin, nizatidine, orlistat, phenylpropanolamine, reboxetine, rosiglitazone, sibutramine, topiramate, and metformin+sibutramine. Compared with placebo, metformin had the greatest weight loss (N=7, n=334, −2.94 kg (confidence interval (CI:−4.89,−0.99)), followed by d-fenfluramine (N=1, n=16, −2.60 kg (CI:−5.14,−0.06)), sibutramine (N=2, n=55, −2.56 kg (CI:−3.91,−1.22)), topiramate (N=2, n=133, −2.52 kg (CI:−4.87,−0.16)), and reboxetine (N=2, n=79, −1.90 kg (CI:−3.07,−0.72)). Weight loss remained significant with metformin initiation after weight gain had occurred, but not when started concomitantly with antipsychotics. Nausea rates were not higher with any treatment compared with placebo. In all, 5 of 15 psychopharmacologic interventions aimed at ameliorating antipsychotic-induced weight gain outperformed placebo. Results were most robust for metformin, although these were modest and heterogeneous. Only one (negative) combination treatment study was available and head-to-head studies are absent. None of the agents were able to entirely reverse weight gain because of antipsychotics. At present, no treatment has sufficient evidence to recommend broad clinical usage. Antipsychotics with no or minimal cardiometabolic liability, as well as interventions that prevent or normalize adverse antipsychotic cardiometabolic effects are needed

A systematic global stocktake of evidence on human adaptation to climate change

Assessing global progress on human adaptation to climate change is an urgent priority. Although the literature on adaptation to climate change is rapidly expanding, little is known about the actual extent of implementation. We systematically screened >48,000 articles using machine learning methods and a global network of 126 researchers. Our synthesis of the resulting 1,682 articles presents a systematic and comprehensive global stocktake of implemented human adaptation to climate change. Documented adaptations were largely fragmented, local and incremental, with limited evidence of transformational adaptation and negligible evidence of risk reduction outcomes. We identify eight priorities for global adaptation research: assess the effectiveness of adaptation responses, enhance the understanding of limits to adaptation, enable individuals and civil society to adapt, include missing places, scholars and scholarship, understand private sector responses, improve methods for synthesizing different forms of evidence, assess the adaptation at different temperature thresholds, and improve the inclusion of timescale and the dynamics of responses